Football players wear pads and helmets, but they're not climbing on one another's shoulders to turn flips and hope a teammate catches them before they hit the ground.

That's what cheerleaders do in the modern, high-performance world - all without protective equipment.

The University Interscholastic League, the state authority on student athletics in public schools, now wants to ensure there is proper supervision for cheerleader training and safety to reduce the potential for injury.

Because there will be falls, trips and stumbles, cheerleaders are at risk for concussion.

Public school students who take part in cheerleading haven't been covered in the past by UIL requirements that govern sports.

The UIL's Legislative Council this week voted to ask the state education commissioner to approve new supervision rules for the private cheerleading associations that have provided training and safety programs for the cheerleaders.

The new rules on cheerleading accompany those limiting full-contact football practices to no more than 90 minutes per athlete per week in the regular and post seasons, and also to require parents or guardians to sign a new acknowledgement form about the dangers of sudden cardiac arrest for the student-athlete before taking part in a UIL event.

If approved by the state education commissioner, these new rules take effect Aug. 1.